1A simple roofed structure, typically made of wood or metal, used as a storage space, a shelter for animals, or a workshop.

1. 1.1A larger structure, typically with one or more sides open, for storing or maintaining vehicles or other machinery.
   ‘a shed is required for the three shunt engines’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The investigating officer said it appeared the fire had started from within one of the vehicles stored in the shed and then quickly spread.’
   • ‘The court heard he went on a fire-starting spree over a five-year period after unsuccessfully applying to join the fire service, targeting houses, sheds and vehicles.’
   • ‘The house, which comes complete with an attached garage, is set back from the road in mature gardens with shaped lawns, a paved sun patio, a pond, a lockable store, a shed and a greenhouse.’
   • ‘He has applied to the council for planning permission for a machinery shed at Church Avenue, Stradbally.’
   • ‘Leeds Crown Court heard that the father-of-two, who is accused of 18 attacks on houses, sheds and vehicles in Bradford, was either out for revenge or wanted to play the hero.’
   • ‘The signal will now be stored in engine sheds near Grosmont until a team of experts can begin the painstaking task of restoring it to its former glory.’
   • ‘The first powered aircraft was disassembled and stored in a shed behind the brothers' bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio.’
   • ‘From the docks, specialized equipment was stored in sheds or moved directly to designated bases along back roads at night.’
   • ‘His machine sheds and other structures dot the province.’
   • ‘‘This is a quick transformation from a store to a shed,’ said Mr Feeney.’
   • ‘Outside the classroom there's a shed full of heavy machinery used in training.’
   • ‘The whaling canoes are stored in a wooden shed, idle for the past six years.’
   • ‘Jess just nodded again and took off down the path in the direction of the machinery shed.’
   • ‘A couple of stone throws away, near the machinery sheds, is the old homestead with its original wood-fired stove.’
   • ‘The only building on the otherwise vacant block is a machinery shed.’
   • ‘We're able to pool our infrastructure: machinery, equipment and machinery sheds.’
   • ‘This drew us past a shed full of equally ancient, rusting machines, and through the mine entrance.’
   • ‘The machinery shed actually got built and even the inside is 95% finished.’
   • ‘Of the vehicles broken into, 28.5% were parked in a garage, shed, driveway or yard.’
   • ‘The city's first railway station was at Milford in 1847 with engine sheds established at Churchfields in 1901.’

Park (a vehicle) in a depot.

1(of a tree or other plant) allow (leaves or fruit) to fall to the ground.

1. 1.1(of a reptile, insect, etc.) allow (its skin or shell) to come off, to be replaced by another one that has grown underneath.
   ‘Both are frequently images of creativity: rabbits are prolific and snakes shed their skins and grow new ones as an act of renewal.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Each time the caterpillar grows bigger, it sheds its skin in a process called molting.’
   • ‘The male crabs shed their shells twice a year, in autumn and spring.’
   • ‘The children did indeed find a snake skin; the discussion that followed about snakes shedding their skins added depth to the study.’
   • ‘I have had had snakes shedding their skin in my house.’
   • ‘As though he was a snake shedding its old skin to make room for the new, Ian's human skin began to peal off of him as a scaly, dark green skin took its place.’
   • ‘Her mother had somehow shed her old body like a snake shedding its skin.’
   • ‘Snakes shed their worn-out skin about six times a year.’
   • ‘I'll shed this house like a snake or a lizard must shed its skin.’
   • ‘The great snake was shedding its skin, revealing glorious pearly scales hidden under the rock cover.’
   • ‘When snake sheds its skin, it slides out of it, leaves it behind and moves on blithely with life.’
   • ‘Tim's Sri Lankan experiences led him to consider how just as a snake sheds its skin, so too can we shed our fear of otherness, and learn to embrace other cultures.’
   • ‘Like the snake sheds its skin, we all need to leave our past again and again.’
   • ‘In other words, the old guard is changing - not unlike a snake shedding its skin.’
   • ‘What is it about the rich and famous, shedding relationships and personas as fast as a snake sheds its skin?’
   • ‘As their body size increases, the crabs shed their too small exoskeleton (shell).’
   • ‘Ostracods shed the carapace with each molt, whereas the conchostracans simply add material to the carapace as they grow.’
   • ‘Taylor notes that some insects swallow air to inflate their bodies when shedding their shells, but it's unknown whether they also use the air for skeletal support.’
   • ‘A layer of tension fell off like a snake shedding its skin.’
   • ‘But crabs and other animals that periodically shed their hard shells, or exoskeletons, face just such a predicament.’
   Synonyms

   slough off, cast, cast off, moult

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2. 1.2(of a mammal) lose (hair) as a result of molting, disease, or age.
   ‘Dogs also require regular grooming, as all dogs shed hair.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Cheap brushes are a huge headache mainly because they shed hair and lose their shape quicker than quality brushes.’
   • ‘My dog is shedding more hair than usual.’
   • ‘Though the baby soon sheds the hair on his head, the moustache only grows thicker.’
   • ‘It is well known that shedding hair and dandruff into the surgical area contributes to an increase in infection.’
   • ‘I wanted to shed everything, and I shed the hair as well.’
   • ‘I donned an apron and she shed her blond hair all over it.’
   • ‘For instance, someone who is especially house proud will not want a dog with a long coat which sheds hair all over the furniture.’
   • ‘Suppose I have an idea for a new spray that will prevent household pets from shedding hair all over your nice clothes and furniture.’
   • ‘The season premiere's ‘plot’ revolved around a pet cat, which caused conflict by getting into all the apartments and shedding hair and pooing on furniture and leaving fleas.’
   • ‘There are fewer than 12 breeders in the UK who produce the dogs, which shed no hair and eliminate the problems for allergy sufferers.’
   • ‘In female pattern hair loss, when the affected hair is shed, the root grows one in its place that is shorter.’
   • ‘The hairs can be shed or inserted by direct contact with potential predators by rubbing the region with urticating hairs.’
   • ‘Within three to four weeks, nearly all of the newly transplanted hairs will be shed.’
   • ‘Poor Dolly is having a really bad moult, shedding great wads of fine grey hair.’
   • ‘The dog sheds heavily - the Samoyedes collected the fur and wove it into a wool - so be prepared for a lot of white fuzz around the house.’
   • ‘After being shed, affected hairs can harbor viable organisms for more than one year.’
   • ‘Most of the hair that is shed from a Shih Tzu's coat will end up in the brush if you brush daily.’
   • ‘In the summer, the arctic fox sheds its white coat for a brown one for better cover.’
   • ‘But the hair sheds all year round, so be forewarned.’
3. 1.3Take off (clothes).
   ‘She shed her clothes and pulled on the catsuit.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘I shed my clothes and pull on black jeans, a black shirt and black shoes and quickly tied my hair back with a black hair tie.’
   • ‘I shed the clothes I was wearing, and pulled on the new outfit.’
   • ‘The children seem to think it's an adventure, an adventure that includes shedding their clothes, decontamination and donning of scrubs.’
   • ‘The flight attendant shed her clothes to reveal a bikini colored like the American flag - the shedding of her Irish identity?’
   • ‘Ten onlookers spontaneously shed their clothes and joined in the fun.’
   • ‘This double standard is what enables and entices women to shed their clothes.’
   • ‘She quickly shed the clothes she was wearing and fully dressed herself in clean garments and her brother's spare uniform.’
   • ‘Land and water resources departments all over Australia have been shedding their developers' clothes and putting on shiny new green ones.’
   • ‘When the moment arrives and Elena sheds her clothes in bed with Fernando, an extended conversation takes precedence over sexual contact.’
   • ‘He sheds his white clothes because they will be visible in the night and wears only the knife around his neck.’
   • ‘I called out and stood from the bed, shedding my clothes.’
   • ‘Suddenly, the drunken man gets up and starts shedding his clothes to reveal a well-dressed, handsome gentleman.’
   • ‘Ryan, in contrast to everyone else, seemed a bit uncomfortable with idea of quickly shedding his clothes in front of everyone.’
   • ‘I arrived at home at last and, after shedding my formal clothes and settling into my pajamas, snuggled into bed.’
   • ‘He shivered as his bare arms were exposed to the damp air and quickly made his way to the bath chamber, shedding his clothes as he went.’
   • ‘The both of them fumbled down the hall, shedding their clothes and leaving them where they dropped on the ground.’
   • ‘As the two of us shed our clothes and moved closer to the inevitable, I was forced more and more to ignore the insistence of my rational mind that told me I was making a mistake.’
   • ‘He quickly shed his clothes and climbed gratefully into a bed that hadn't been used in too long, turning on his side so his back was to the darkened glass.’
   • ‘She grabbed the clothes she had shed before entering the water.’
   Synonyms

   take off, remove, pull off, peel off, shrug off, discard, divest oneself of, doff, fling off, fling aside, climb out of, slip out of

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4. 1.4Discard (something undesirable, superfluous, or outdated)
   ‘what they lacked was a willingness to shed the arrogance of the past’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Marr acknowledges that, in shedding pivotal players and considerable sums from both the playing budget and debt, his club must also shed expectations.’
   • ‘When asked whether the Chilean had shed the excess pounds he gained after his injury, he joked that all that worried him was the player's haircut.’
   • ‘Governments should not be allowed to shed this responsibility by appealing for private donations.’
   • ‘That could allow it to shed jobs without adding to its fixed costs.’
   • ‘Constant self-examination allows them to shed old baggage and reinvent themselves.’
   • ‘The introduction of the cranes will also allow the company to shed jobs from an already depleted workforce.’
   • ‘The firm says it has no choice but to shed the jobs because there has been a fall in demand for bronze and brass products.’
   • ‘The high street clearers are already compensating for that with increased lending to the companies that have spent the last three years shedding costs and debt and are now showing a little more interest in expansion and acquisitions.’
   • ‘It knows that while volume production is mobile and has proved disposable, high-quality graduates in design jobs are harder to find and retain, and it doesn't look good to be callously shedding staff by the thousand.’
   • ‘In the new art, men became gods by shedding triviality…’
   • ‘In shedding the weight, equivalent to more than 40 bags of sugar, Christine overcame a sweet tooth, which saw her balloon to a 26 dress size.’
   • ‘Other politicians are also shedding the pounds.’
   • ‘I just thought I was shedding the pounds through exercise.’
   • ‘I don't believe that the sporting gods will punish us for contemplating victory and I'm all for shedding our national defeatism.’
   • ‘No sooner have people been successfully corralled into shedding a few pounds, they are hectored about the possible dangers of dieting.’
   • ‘So is this the nasty party shedding its repulsive past?’
   • ‘But the transplant gives him a 95 per cent chance of shedding the syndrome and leading a normal life.’
   • ‘I am shedding youthful pursuits that don't mean that much to me anymore.’
   • ‘As a consequence the BBC is quickly shedding its homely image and taking on the commercial media world.’
   • ‘Bingo is shedding its blue rinse and mothballs image and bidding to become young, fun and sexy.’
   Synonyms

   dismiss, let go, discharge, give someone their notice, get rid of, discard

   discard, get rid of, dispose of, do away with, drop, abandon, throw out, jettison, lose, scrap, cast aside, cast off, dump, have done with, reject, repudiate

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5. 1.5Have the property of preventing (something) from being absorbed.
   ‘this leather has a superior ability to shed water, sweat, and salt’
   More example sentences

   • ‘It keeps your feet dry as it sheds water and defies mud.’
   • ‘When it's oriented up, the boards will shed water and will tend to flatten over time.’
   • ‘Because they were made of wool, they shed water, though eventually they'd get wet.’
   • ‘The secret is to keep the pile low and flat, so that it does not shed the rain water away.’
   • ‘Their fur is also excellent for shedding water, usefully reducing the risk of your clothes sticking to your skin.’
   • ‘It was outside the shelter looking even more peculiar than ever with a tight waterproof hood enclosing its head, shedding water as if it were oiled.’
   • ‘When I was finished, I stood up, shedding water off my body, and wrapped myself in a towel.’
   • ‘The hair of coastal wolves also appears to be coarser and better at shedding water, perhaps to cope with the heavy rainfall on the west coast.’
6. 1.6Eliminate part of (an electrical power load) by disconnecting circuits.